Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti National Park is more than just a wildlife destination—it’s a symbol of nature’s grandeur and beauty. Visitors are drawn to the park not only for its breathtaking landscapes, which stretch out in golden plains as far as the eye can see, but for the incredible biodiversity that flourishes here. The Serengeti offers the opportunity to witness one of the greatest natural events on Earth, the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles journey across the plains. Beyond the migration, the Serengeti is famed for its rich variety of wildlife, including large populations of lion, cheetah, leopard, and elephant. Whether it’s the chance to observe these majestic animals in their natural habitat or simply to enjoy the serenity of the African wilderness, the Serengeti National Park promises an unforgettable adventure.

Short answer: The Great Migration, Big 5 safaris

Long answer:

There are many reason to choose Serengeti National Park as your one and only safari destination, and the first being the incredible Great Migration. To behold the spectacle of thousands of wildebeest as far as the eye can see in all directions, interspersed with hundreds of zebra, is something you will never forget. Many also come here to witness when the Great Migration crosses the Mara River up north, where hungry crocodiles lie in wait.

But the Serengeti has so much else to offer as well. It is probably one of the best places in the world to see the African big cats, particularly lion and cheetah (with leopards also being fairly common), as well as a host of other species of wildlife all over the place, including elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, warthogs, hyenas, hippos, and several species of antelope, from the massive eland, to the tiny dik-dik. You seldom go far without seeing something new.

Serengeti National Park is massive, and it is impossible to cover the whole park in a single day, not even within a week, really. So, here are some tips that might help you choose where to go for different experiences:

I would definitely do a trip through the southern plains. These are seemingly endless flat plains, where you can see far into the distance in all directions, with scattered kopjes (standalone rocks) here and there where sometimes pride of lions gather (just as in the Disney movie “the Lion King”). If you are lucky to be in this area at the same time as the Great Migration, this is probably one of the more incredible views of it, as you really get a feel of the immensity of the whole thing. The wildebeest are in this area from December to March, and they give birth to new calves at the very south of the southern plains (towards the Ngorongoro) at the beginning of this season. When the great migration is elsewhere, you’d still see plenty of gazelles and other wildlife here, and it is a good place to look out for cheetah. If you travel to the Serengeti by car from Arusha, you will drive through this area, as most Safari Camps and Lodges are found further north. 

One of my personal favorite routes in the Serengeti is through the Western Corridor (the narrow section that stretches out towards Lake Victoria in the west), starting from the central area of the park, called Seronera. This drive will take you on a drive along the Grumeti River, which is one of the largest rivers in the park. Here you’ll see lusher and more forested areas nearby the river, and you might catch a glimpse of the pretty mantled guereza, also known as the eastern black-and-white colobus monkey in the trees. Along this path you will cross a mosaic landscape of flat, open grasslands, woodlands, and denser forests. In the dry season (between June and October), you are bound to see lots of wildlife gathering at areas where there is still water in the Grumeti (as portions of it dries up completely). Chances of seeing elephants are particularly great here. If you have the time, go all the way out west, as I always felt the open areas out there were a bit more lush and pretty. 

The third route I recommend is up north in the direction of Kenya and the Masai Mara. This is a very different route compared to the rest, as it is more hilly and mountainous. There are many rocky areas here, which makes for a very different scenery to the other sections of the park. Be sure to look out for klipspingers, small antelopes that live in these terrains. A typical trip in this section will take you from the central area of Seronera towards the Lobo area, where you can stop at the famous Lobo Lodge for lunch and enjoy a great view over the plains below. If you travel further north, you may eventually get to the Mara River, which is essential for keeping water flowing in the park (and is of course famous for the crossing of wildebeest). There are more open grasslands towards the northern end of the park, but it remains quite hilly all the way to the Kenyan border (where the famous Masai Mara lies on the other side). We rarely drove up here without seeing plenty of lions and elephants, and rumors had it that most of the black rhinos in the park where in this section (this might have changed since my stay way back in 2010). 

The best area for wildlife viewing in the entire park is perhaps within the central area itself, Seronera. If you do come to stay several nights, I would recommend staying in one of the lodges here (unless you are here for the Great Migration and come at a time when the wildebeest are far away from this area). The Seronera River flows through this section, and is an essential source of water for wildlife throughout the year. During the dry season you are bound to see a lot of action near this river. This area is also where the southern plains ends and the landscape changes into more open woodland habitats. This means that you can get both expansive open grasslands, woodlands, as well as water holes and river sections in one single drive, and you do not have to go very far for any of it. Here you are bound to see lots of lions, elephants, buffaloes, as well as other wildlife. This is probably one of the better areas for leopards as well, so be sure look out for them relaxing in the trees. 

If you are in the Serengeti for a limited time (one or two days), I’d stick to Seronera, but if you have 4-5 days, I’d do a trip through the Western Corridor and a trip up north as well. I’d also arrive and exit the park through the southern plains, to get those extra safari drives through one of the most iconic regions of the park.

Besides the guided safaris, you can do hot air balloon safaris over the open plains, and walking safaris. I did neither, but then again, we didn’t really have the time to explore other options while there (and I didn’t really feel like it either, as we got plenty of excitement doing our own stuff – see the “My Experience”-section for more on this).

The best time to visit the Serengeti depends on what you want to experience, and where. If you want to experience the Great Migration in the southern plains, December to March would be your best option. If you want to experience the Great Migration in or around the central areas of the park, such as Seronera, or the Western Corridor (with wildebeest crossing the Grumeti River), then late April to May would be a good time. If you want to experience the famous river crossing at the Mara River up north, then July to early September is the time to be there, or when they return back and cross the river again in October to early November.

If you want to go to the Serengeti for general wildlife viewing, the dry season from June to October is excellent, as animals tend to gather around water sources. If you prefer lush landscapes and fewer tourists, consider visiting from November to May, though some roads may become impassable during the rainy season from March to May. Birdwatchers will enjoy the park from November to April when migratory bird species are abundant.

Reaching Serengeti National Park is relatively straightforward. The nearest major city is Arusha, about 325 kilometers (202 miles) away. From Arusha, you can either take a domestic flight to one of the park’s airstrips, such as Seronera in the center or Kogatende near the Mara River, or opt for a road transfer, which takes about eight hours and passes through the stunning landscapes of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (which I would do). Many tour operators include transfers as part of their safari packages, making the journey comfortable and scenic. If driving independently, be prepared for gravel roads and ensure your vehicle is 4×4 capable.

The Serengeti was my very first taste of African wildlife, and what a place to get your first experience! I have been here twice, first as a tourist for five days in January of 2009, and then doing three months of field work for my Master’s thesis on elephants in 2010. As you can see by the images, this was before I got a decent camera, as all I had with me for both trips were a small compact camera from Canon. I did regret not buying something better for my second trip, but at least it got me to buy better equipment for my next visit to Africa.

The first trip as a tourist in 2009 was part of a trip I did with my fellow third year Biology undergrads. It was a fantastic experience, as we got to see all the big ones over the course of our five days there (lots of elephants and lions, a cheetah on the prowl, plenty of buffalo, and, the highlight, a female leopard resting in a yellow fever tree. We arrived by driving from Arusha to the Serengeti. This took us through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which also takes you through the jungles along the crater rim of the famous Ngorongoro Crater. We did a short stop at the crater’s edge and to this day we still believe we saw a black rhino way out in the distance (the only one I ever saw in the wild in Tanzania). Black rhinos are more common and numerous inside the Ngorongoro Crater than in the Serengeti.

I fell in love with both the place and African wildlife after those five days in the Serengeti as a tourist. As soon as I was back home in Norway I asked one of the Biology Professors (Eivin Røskaft – the one who had arranged the trip for us) if they had a project for me in the Serengeti for my Master’s thesis (due to begin later that year). He said they did have a project on elephants I could be a part of, and from then my life would change forever.

Around the end of March to the beginning of April 2010, myself and two other students began our field work on the elephants of the Serengeti. I was doing genetic research, and got my samples by collecting elephant dung, the other two, Heidi and Lisa, did stress hormone research (through the same dung samples as me) and feeding ecology (by looking at what plants elephants eat) respectively. Over the next three months we drove a Land Rover Defender across the park looking for elephants and collecting their dung. I won’t go into details on field work methods or the results here, but if you are curious to see what I did and what I ended up with here is a link to my thesis: https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-xmlui/handle/11250/244778

It was quite the experience, being three students in our twenties left on our own in the vast Serengeti National Park to do research on such a (possibly) dangerous animal. We did have a local assistant with us for most of the time, which helped us navigating elephant behavior, but he was also a bit inexperienced and after the first couple of months or so (give or take a few weeks), we felt we did better without him. 

During my time researching the elephants of the Serengeti, I got massive respect for these animals, and by the end of our stay I was a bit tired of having to deal with these animals and the potential danger they posed to us. Most of the time the elephants were fine with us being there, particularly when we found them along the road. It was only when we saw them further away and we approached them off road that situations became a bit hairier, as the elephants didn’t expect or want vehicles to approach them. We had elephants mock charging at us, and one irritated big bull once came right up to our car almost having us pee our pants. Luckily, we never got into any really dangerous situations. After my time doing research in Tembe Elephant Park a few years later, I got to realize that the elephants we dealt with in the Serengeti were quite docile compared to the elephants I had to deal with that side (where I had to drive away from elephants doing real charges at me at least a couple of times). 

As we were in the Serengeti doing research, we didn’t do too much of driving around just for the experience or to see what else we could find. We probably should have done this a bit more, but we wanted as much data as possible for our theses. It didn’t help that we had an assistant that never bothered to tell us when he saw leopards or other exciting wildlife, or how to get to the famous Mara River up north, as he didn’t think it was important. We did however, see a lot of spectacular wildlife just by being there and doing our field work. Here are some of my top experiences:

1. Having a pride of lions as our nearest neighbors the first week in the Serengeti.
A pride of lions had just killed a buffalo near our house in Seronera before we got there, and they stayed in the vicinity for the first week because of it. Every evening and night they gathered a top of a kopje just downhill from us, where they would roar into the late hours. Sometimes we would stand outside on our “lawn” and look at them as they approached in the evening, without any barriers between us and them. Once, one of their medium-sized cubs even ran towards us (probably just curious), giving us a bit of a fright. That was a very exciting time, and quite the “Welcome to Africa”-experience.

2. Experiencing the Great Migration when it came to Seronera.
It was in early May. We had been on a two-day drive back and forth through the Western Corridor, when we decided to do a detour around the Seronera area on the way home. One of our favorite drives was heading down to the northern edge of the open plains and see what we could find near the rivers and waterholes. This time, as we got down there, we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a massive herd of wildebeest, with quite the few zebras as well. The Great Migration had come to our neck of the woods! It was an incredible experience, as it seemed no end to the herd as we drove around the area. It probably took us several hours to get back to our house, as there were wildebeest everywhere, even all the way up to the house itself. We saw an elephant herd with calves stressed out by the presence of so many wildebeest, and a small herd of impala were hiding behind some bushes near our house to escape them all. Even though that was the day with highest concentration of wildebeest we saw, it still took several days before they had all passed through. 

The aftermath after they had passed were clear to see. Portions of the rivers were filled with dead wildebeest, which had probably drowned trying to cross, leaving a feast for the crocodiles. And calves, born just a few months prior were seen alone here and there, either separated from their mother, or their mother had died by accident or being taken by predators. We came across one such calf in the Western Corridor following a big bull elephant, probably seeing it as a safe substitute for their mother. 

3. Coming across three cheetah brothers just after they had killed a wildebeest.
This happened on the way north towards the Lobo area. As we came across them, they must have just put it down, and they were about to begin eating. It was quite close to the road, and we were the only ones there to witness it (which always make sightings more special). We spent quite the time with these cheetahs as they fed on the wildebeest, and got to see how the scavengers, such as black-backed jackals and various species of vultures came closer and waited for the cheetahs to finish. One of the jackals even went in to grab a bite as the cheetahs were still eating, causing one of the cheetahs to chase it off.  

4. Two leopards on my birthday.
This was in early June (the 8th to be precise), and we had been there for two months. The plan for the day was to drive around the Seronera area (our local area you could say) to look for elephants. We had hardly seen any leopards before then, just one far away, and one that was very close in a tree, but jumped down and disappeared in the grass as we stopped our vehicle. It was my birthday and I wished for a leopard on our drive. Not only did we get one, but two! As we got down to one of the rivers by the open plains, there was a huge fever tree, and on one of the branches were two leopards! Possibly a male and a female. It was quite the scene, in broad daylight, with palms in the background, and the leopards were actively moving and walking on the branch before settling down. It there was one time I really wish I had better camera equipment, it was that day, but I still got what I wished for (and more!).

5. Black rhino reintroduction camp.
While we were in the Serengeti, six black rhinos were flown in from South Africa to increase the tiny population of the species in the park. We were at the Seronera airstrip the day they came in by plane, and even the Tanzanian President was there and gave a speech. It was quite the celebration, with music, food, and lots of people. A few weeks later, on one of our drives (I think towards north) in June, we came across a vehicle with people working with these black rhinos. They were kind enough to tell us were their camp was and where the black rhinos were kept in bomas (temporary enclosures for wild animals as they adapt to new environments before release). We got there, met the people in charge, and even got to meet and feed the black rhinos. It was an incredible experience! Most of the rhinos, which normally are very aggressive animals, were quite friendly and docile in their bomas, and quite happily ate from the branches we gave them and didn’t even mind us touching their horn and face as they ate. One of the rhinos were quite aggressive, however, so we weren’t allowed close to her boma to keep her quiet and from harming herself. After release, each rhino was heavily guarded to keep them from being killed for their horns. One of the male rhinos, they had named him George, were still sadly killed by poachers not long after release (and his guards were probably in on it).

6. Lion encounter in camp.
This is one of my favorite experiences, and one I often tell people as one of the more exciting wildlife encounters I have ever had. We had just gotten back to our house after a day of field work, and we were heading to the library building just down the road from us to do some data work on our computers. As we walked past a large rock to our left, we saw some of the park staff further down. They kept waving at us, and we smiled and waved back. They then shook their heads and pointed at the rock next to us. We then looked up at rock (which was only 20 meters away) and saw two lions looking down at us from above. A male and a female. We only saw their heads over the edge of the rock, and they looked quite relaxed and unbothered by us. We didn’t feel threatened, so we stood and took pictures of each other with the lions in the background. It was very exciting, but we didn’t linger any more than we had to, and walked down to the library. 

As we sat down to work, I realized I had forgotten the power cord to my computer at the house. I had to go back and get it. The lions had looked very relaxed, so I thought it would be fine to walk past them again. But this time, as I approached the rock, the male lion was now fully visible and lying with his front towards me. I could see his full body now. This was something else entirely. I then remembered two things the people working in the area had told us: “That the lions that lived around this area were used to human presence, and never showed aggression” and “If you look at them when you walk, they won’t do anything to you”. I decided to give it a try, so I walked towards him, staring at him the whole time, and he kept looking back at me. I think the moment was too tense for me to get really nervous, and I never felt in danger as I kept walking. It was a sense of mutual respect going on between us. However, as I got close and was about to pass the rock, the female suddenly stood up, walked, and disappeared from view into some vegetation at the back of the rock. Then the nerves finally hit me, and my heart started to beat a lot faster. For all I knew, she could have jumped down behind the rock to hunt me down from the other side. I picked up the pace and hurried towards the house, which was very close. I never ran, as that would only trigger the hunting instincts in the lions. Luckily for me, she hadn’t jumped down to hunt me from behind.

I found my charger, and had to get back to the library again. I decided to go for it, yet again, but being very careful and observant as to where they were. When I finally came to the rock, I now only saw the tail end of the male lion, and nothing of the female. They had probably had enough of humans passing by, and decided to switch positions and look the other way. Then I could pass them by safely and finally get to work on my research data.

7. Crazy carnivore day by the Seronera River.
Towards the end of our stay, in July, we were very much within the dry season. Most rivers had dried up, and the colors of the park were mostly yellow and brown. We had come from an uneventful drive out west when we decided to take a slight detour along the Seronera River on the way back to our house. The Seronera River was one of the few places that still had plenty of water, which also meant that there were wildlife all over the place alongside it. The first eventful thing that happened was us finding a herd of elephants. We did our thing (waited for them to defecate, and then go out and pick up the dung afterwards). As I stood there, outside of the vehicle picking up dung a vehicle with tourists came by and asked me to turn around and look. And just there, right on the other side of the river from were I was standing, I saw a zebra running between some bushes and then a lioness following right behind! The lions were hunting right there on the other side from where I was standing! To be outside on the ground watching that happening was quite the experience. Sadly, I didn’t see how the hunt ended, as they both disappeared behind vegetation.

But it didn’t stop there! As we continued along the river we kept on seeing more lions. They were everywhere! And why wouldn’t they be. Every other animal was there as well. It was quite the buffet. I remember us seeing a herd of impala, and then just around the bend, seeing another lioness stalking them. A bit further along, more towards the end of this road by the river, we came across an area with a lot of safari vehicles. They were all parked beneath a tree. As we looked closer, we saw that there was a leopard relaxing in that tree, just lying on a branch close to the road. And when we looked even closer, we saw that there was a lioness in the grass underneath the tree. It had probably chased the leopard up there. There were so many cars parked at the site, so we hung back a bit and waited for it to clear up before we got closer. And, while we sat and waited for the vehicles to move away from the leopard, another lioness suddenly sprang out from the grass next to our car chasing a warthog! It was just insane! I have never experienced anything like this day, and I doubt I ever will! Again, I wish I had better camera equipment that day, but to be fair, I am glad I got to experience this without the need to get good photos of everything, which I have now. 

There you have some of my top experiences from my time in the Serengeti. It’s a shame that my pictures from this place is of such a low standard compared to the rest of my website, but it is an important wildlife destination of mine, and one I have to have included on my website. I have plans to be back some day, and hopefully I’ll get some better photos that time around, even though I’ll probably never have the same experiences!